SA Heritage Register Nomination form To help your nomination be successful, please fill out this form with as much information as possible. Feel free to expand the answer fields as much as you require or append information to the form. It is important that you attach images and a map of what you are nominating by email or by fax. For assistance with this form you may contact: Your local historical society or heritage adviser may be of assistance OR you may telephone an assessment officer in DEWNR on (08) 8124 4960. A. Nominated Place 1. Name Name of Place / Object: Stranded Shingle Beach Ridges of Upper Spencer Gulf Any other or former name(s): Not to my knowledge Is the place already on another Not to my knowledge heritage list? 2. Location Street Address: Stony Point near Whyalla – north along western coastline of Upper Spencer Gulf to near Port Augusta Suburb / Town: Post Code: Local Council Name: WHYALLA / PORT AUGUSTA Land Description: Title: Volume: Folio: Parcel Type: Parcel No: (if known) Plan Type: Plan No: Section: Hundred: GPS Location/s: Longitude / Easting / X Latitude / Northing / Y (Datum = ) (If known) 3. Ownership Name of Owner(s): Contact person: (if different from owner explain relationship) Postal Address: Street Address: Suburb / Town: Post Code: Phone Number: Ownership History: 4. Nominator (your details) Your Name/s: Organisation/Position: Daytime Phone: Fax: Postal Address: Post Code Email Address: Page 1 SA Heritage Register Nomination form B. Description 5. Description of nominated place or object Description of the nominated place or object and Stranded Shingle Beach deposits of Upper Spencer Gulf have its current condition: been traced over a distance of 50 Kms from near the head of Spencer Gulf southwards along its western shore to Stony Point, near Whyalla. Are you aware of any modifications or additions During 2011/12 a project was undertaking to protect the Ridges. to the place or object? Geological and Re-vegetation barriers were installed at many Can you provide dates for these changes? locations between Fitzgerald Bay and One Shack Bay to the north. Do you believe there may be historical items Not to my knowledge. under the ground? Should an archaeological investigation be considered? Date you inspected the place or object: 2011 / 2012 Current use of the place or object: A special place to visit and observe Original or former use(s): N/A Are there any current or long term threats Barriers were put in place due to the proliferation of ad hoc vehicle to the nominated place or object? tracks and inappropriate use by 4WD’s and motorbikes. The results have been satisfying. Name of Builder: N/A Any other information: Interpretative signs were also installed at three locations to highlight the significance of the ridges. C. History 6. Origins and history Years of Construction: Pleistocene is a geological time covering 1.6 million to 10,000 years ago Name of Designer / Architect: History of the nominated place or object: The ridges are a distinctive geological feature which is believed to date back to the Pleistocene period (1.6 million to 10,000 years ago) and are the only geological feature of this kind in South Australia and are uncommon in Australia. Historical sources used to support Stranded Shingle Beach Ridges Upper Spencer Gulf your nomination: Southern Australia Evidence For High Wave Energy Please attach copies of pages from publications or Dissipation During The Late Pleistocene newspaper articles as appropriate. By: Hails, J R - Gostin, V A See attachment: Hails&Gostin Type: Article In: Transactions of The Royal Society of South Australia Volume: 102 Date: 1978 Page Range: 169--174 Page 2 SA Heritage Register Nomination form D. Heritage Significance 7. Statement of State Significance - Why is the place or object important to South Australia? It is of State heritage significance because the Stranded Shingle Beach Ridges of Upper Spencer Gulf are the only distinctive geological features of this kind in South Australia. 8. Significance Criteria The South Australian Heritage Places Act 1993 lists seven criteria by which places are assessed as ‘State significant.’ Please tick the criteria you feel the place demonstrates and explain your reasons. It demonstrates important It is probable this shingle sediment was deposited in the Pleistocene era at aspects of the evolution or a time when the melting of ice during the last interglacial period caused sea pattern of the State's history. level to be three metres higher than today. It has rare, uncommon or Composed of quartzite pebbles these deposits are an ancient geological endangered qualities that are of treasure. cultural significance. It may yield information that will Studying these ridges may reveal valuable information about climatic and contribute to an understanding of environmental changes in the past that can help us better understand and the State's history, including its plan for the impacts of climate change in future. natural history. It is an outstanding representative of a particular class of places of cultural significance. It demonstrates a high degree of creative, aesthetic or technical accomplishment or is an outstanding representative of particular construction techniques or design characteristics. It has strong cultural or spiritual They have, important indigenous significance with the belief that they are associations for the community connected to the ‘Seven Sisters’ in ‘The Dreaming’ of local Barngarla or a group people. The story of the Whyalla region connects the local people to other within it. indigenous groups in the form of ‘Dreaming Trails’ which stretch across to Western Australia and as far north as Uluru. It has a special association with the life or work of a person or organisation or an event of historical importance. Page 3 SA Heritage Register Nomination form E. Additional Information 9. Images/Maps/Diagrams/Site Plans A full range of images including maps, site plans, and photographs will help your nomination. Please provide: a clear outline of the place or object being nominated within any maps or plans provided high quality images of the place or object (please list the total number of images being provided) the subject of each image the date each image was created the author of each image, and the copyright holder of each image (if known) Paste images here: See attachment: Ridges mar14 (11 Slides) Presentation & Photos – Page 4 SA Heritage Register Nomination form Page 5 Stranded Shingle Beach Ridges Fitzgerald Bay & Beyond mar14 Port Augusta Stranded Shingle Beach Ridges Stranded shingle beach deposits of the Upper Spencer Gulf have been traced over a distance of 50 kms from near the head of Spencer Gulf southwards along its western shore to Stony Point, near Whyalla. Blanche Ancient Pleistocene era shoreline was 3 metres higher than Harbor current sea level Location of ancient stranded beach deposits Length of wave fetch over the 3 metre deeper Pleistocene gulf waters Longest wave fetch One Shack Bay Fetch The size of a wave depends on its fetch. The fetch is the distance Crag Point a wave travels. The greater the fetch, the larger the wave. Wind also has a significant effect on the size of waves. 18 km The stronger the wind the larger the wave. Fitzgerald Bay Upper Spencer Gulf Note: Pleistocene pronounced Ply-stow-seen is a geological time covering 1.6 million to 10,000 years ago. Point Lowly 40+ km Crag Point jun11 These long ridges may look like man-made structures formed from pebbles, but in fact these very distinctive flat-topped ridges are a natural phenomenon. They are an ancient geological treasure known as a stranded shingle beach ridge. They are very rare in Australia and only ones of their kind in South Australia. Fitzgerald Bay feb11 Composed of quartzite pebbles, these stranded beach deposits originally came from a nearby plateau which the sea eroded and then deposited on to the beach by strong wave action. The shoreline was therefore once near the foot of the ridge and, when the sea retreated, the shingle beach deposit was left stranded high above the present-day sea level. In the Fitzgerald Bay area the deposits form unusual sinuous, flat topped and well preserved ridges 3 to 5 metres above the present-day sea level. Fitzgerald Bay feb11 Composed quartzite pebbles are moderately sorted, rounded to sub-angular Fitzgerald Bay feb11 Stranded shingle ridges are geological features made from a beach deposit of sediment well above sea level. It is probable this shingle sediment was deposited in the Pleistocene era at a time when the melting of ice during the last interglacial period caused sea level to be three metres higher than today. Fitzgerald Bay feb11 We need to take care of this significant geological phenomenon They are also part of our natural heritage and knowledge from studying these ridges leads to a more complete grasp of how the dynamic forces of climate change and sea level rise in the future will affect our coastal areas. Geological Sign Crag Point nov11 Interpretative Sign One Shack Bay nov11 8 11 .